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A key figure of the American founding still lacks a statue on Hillsdale’s Liberty Walk: John Adams.
While the presence of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison is more immediately obvious in the American founding, Adams’ legacy deserves far more respect than it currently receives.
In his career as a lawyer, Adams showed courage in standing up for what was right. In the aftermath of the Boston Massacre, he represented the British Redcoats who had fired upon the angry mob, leading to the acquittal of six soldiers. Adams believed everyone should have the right to a fair trial and followed through with his duty, even if he would become unpopular among some of the colonists for his defense of the “enemy.”
Reflecting on the trial three years later, Adams called his defense of the British “one of the most gallant, generous, manly and disinterested Actions of my whole Life, and one of the best Pieces of Service I ever rendered my Country.”
Adams was still a patriot fully in favor of American independence from Britain, but he also believed in justice, irrespective of sides.
Adams advised the committee that wrote the Declaration of Independence and persuaded Thomas Jefferson to compose the original draft. During the debates for American independence, Adams played a key role in the Continental Congress.
David McCullough, who wrote a definitive biography of Adams in 2001, “John Adams,” wrote of Adams’ perseverance in fighting for independence.
“For eight difficult wearisome months, working under the greatest imaginable stress and with the full realization of all that was riding on what transpired in Congress, he kept his head, kept driving toward the single surpassing objective of independence,” McCullough wrote. “Few Americans ever achieved so much of such value and consequence to their country in so little time.”
McCullough points out that through his urgency and drive, Adams made the Declaration happen when it did, and that if it had come at a later time, the events of the American Revolution would likely have been vastly different.
Adams also received praise from his contemporaries for his contributions to the Declaration.
Fellow Founding Father Benjamin Rush said of Adams, “Every member of Congress in 1776 acknowledged him to be the first man in the House.”
Jefferson called Adams, “Our colossus on the floor.”
Adams was the primary author of the Massachusetts state constitution, ratified in 1780. While other state constitutions have been replaced as many as 11 times, the Massachusetts constitution is still active, a testament to the enduring influence of Adams’ work.
In the aftermath of the revolution, Adams helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris, which secured British recognition of the United States as an independent nation.
After a brief retirement, Adams served as the first vice president under George Washington and then as the second president of the United States.
During his presidency, Adams successfully kept the young United States from entering into a war with France, paving the way for Jefferson to complete the Louisiana Purchase. Although his presidency was not as popular as Washington’s or Jefferson’s, it should not diminish his contributions as a Founding Father.
Hillsdale has an opportunity to rectify the modern-day snub of one of our finest Americans. After Madison received his statue on the Liberty Walk in 2020, the next person who should follow him is Adams.
With the space previously occupied by the Victory Bell now vacant due to its move to the new student union facade, the college now has a perfect opportunity to put Adams right where he’s always been: Between Washington and Jefferson.
Christian Papillon is a senior studying history.
